North Africa This Week: Startup Events Glimpses [24th-30th September, 2018]
The North African ecosystem is ever alight with startup activity and this past week was no different. As is often the case, investment rounds were closed, partnerships were sealed, acquisitions were completed, and predictably, the rumor mills were buzzing with claims of imminent investment and partnership deals. Most of those happenings were covered in earlier publications, and now we shift attention to some of the notable entrepreneurship-themed and startup-focused events which took place in North Africa in the past week. In case you missed out on any of those, here are glimpses from some of the major events which took place in North African startup ecosystem in the last seven days.
AfricArena Held A Pitching Competition In Tunisia As Part Of Its Continent-Wide Tour
We kick things off from ‘Carthage Land’ where Cogite Coworking Space in Tunis, the Tunisian capital, played host as some of the best startups in Tunisia pitched for a chance to participate in the AfricArena Summit slated for this November in Cape Town, South Africa. The event which took place on Friday, 28th September 2018, brought together some of the key figures in the Tunisian ecosystem as panel discussions were also featured before the pitching competition.
It was an intense afternoon of pitches as some of the best startups from the Tunisian ecosystem were pitted against one another and locked in battle as they tried to convince the jury to fly them to the grand finale in Cape Town with their offerings in three minutes. The event also featured a welcome address from the AfricArena team, brainstorming with investors, startup CEOs, ecosystem partners, and other key figures, as well as a networking session.
Startup Workshop Held In Tunisia
Still from Tunisia, a startup-focused workshop was hosted at 111-CoThink in Tunis on 27th September 2018. The theme of the workshop was “Economic Models To Choose For Your Startup” and it brought together a number of budding and aspiring entrepreneurs who were looking to broaden their knowledge of the Business Model Canvas (BMC) and the kinds of economic models that are most appropriate for specific businesses. This workshop was aimed at demonstrating to participants what a useful tool the BMC can be at various stages of the business — including the idea stage, the early stage, the scaling stage, and even time of sale. The event was targeted at young entrepreneurs, business leaders, project leaders, graduates, and even undergraduates.
Startup-Focused Legal Training Held In Tunisia
Again, the venue is 111-CoThink, Tunis, but this time around the date is Wednesday, 26th September 2018. This event was primarily a training for startups that was centered around legal procedures. The program was focused on bringing both established and aspiring startup founders up to speed with the underlying legal frameworks governing the establishment of startups in Tunisia, to encourage best practices. The objectives of the event were built along such lines as the legal framework for Tunisian startups, the steps to founding a startup in Tunisia, mastering the Tunisian Startup Act, as well as legal tools required for entrepreneurs to launch startups.
Bidaya Incub Information Session Took Place In Morocco
Now, we make a switch to the Kingdom of Morocco where Sillaps in Casablanca-Settat served as the venue of the Bidaya Incub information session. The event was put together as an opportunity for the incubation program to respond to questions about the program, and interested startups and entrepreneurs did not hesitate to jump at the chance. During the event, the Bidaya Incub team enlightened participants on what is required for participation in the program and how to fine-tune their offerings in accordance with the standards of the program. The team essentially handed their playbook to aspiring startups to afford each of them a good shot at getting into the program.
Fourth Techne Summit Kicked Off In Egypt
The fourth edition of the annual global entrepreneurship and technology event, Techne Summit, got off to a start on Saturday, 29th September 2018, at the monumental Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Alexandria, Egypt.
The opening day of the two-day event featured tech entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, economic development organizations, business accelerators and incubators from various parts of the globe. It was also attended by key players in the startup ecosystem, who gathered under one majestic roof to rub minds on best ways to improve such sectors as FinTech, HealthTech, eCommerce, Marketing and Media technology, Investment, Startup Academy, Architecture, and Real Estate Technology.
Amongst the speakers at this year’s event are such notable personalities as Tarek Mahfouz; CEO of Visa, Ashraf Sabry; CEO of Fawry, as well as TV host, Ingy Abo Elseoud, and actor, Amr Wahba. The event is expected to continue today with several activities still lined up including pitching competitions for startups in various industries, who will be looking to land the opportunity of going to Sweden on a study exchange trip.
Image Source: ArabNet
